Human hepatocyte cultures: a model of pharmacotoxicological studies

Abstract

1. Viable adult human hepatocytes were obtained in large yields by perfusion of the liver of kidney donors. The hepatocytes were cultured either alone or in association with rat-liver epithelial cells.

2. In pure culture the survival of hepatocytes did not exceed two to three weeks, while in co-culture they survived for several weeks and better retained the specific liver functions of albumin secretion, cytochrome P-450 content and glucuronidation of drugs.

3. Human hepatocytes, particularly when mixed with rat-liver epithelial cells, may provide a valuable tool for predicting the metabolic pathways and hepatotoxicity of new-drugs in man.